The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-06-29
Is it to injure a Competitor?

COPY of Augusta's new daily, the Gdzctte, we
bought q copy. 1t is Il four-pagc 7-column pa
per, nicely printed in big type, but
fails to take the Associate Press dispatci....
That paper seems to have thus early adopt
cd the newspaper regulation plan Of throw
| ing mud Mt its contemporary. We believe
the habit of assailing competitors Is confined
chiefly to the newspaper fraternity, and 1t has
got to be almost an impossibility for a live
newspaper to print an issue which is acccpta-
| BILE to its less enterprsing competitors.
| When men 60 into almost any other business
they seek, rs rule, to win success by making
it to the interest of the public to deal wltf'
them. But in the printing business, If
newspaper adopts the more progressive sys-
TENS, or in any other way makes superior
paper, his methods are usually vigorously at
tackled by its competitors, and the nearer the
progressive editor supplies the public de-
mand he may expect insinuatlon and In
uendo from his less energetic and less enter
prising competitors.
fla merchant devoted his energy to the de-
| famatlon or abuses Of n competitor, the pub
| lie would condemn the course. The Chronicle,
being progressive newspaper seeks to
give its readers as much reading matter as
possible. and by the plate symtem news
papers can furnish much interesting mat
ter that would otherwise be lost. Plate matter
as everybody knows, Is used, instead Of dead
advertisements to fill out any space In the pa
| per which may not be needed for original or
nows matter, thus bcnefitting the reader to
that extent. But we presume, In order to In
lure the Chronicle, the Gazette publishes the
following paragraph:
| "PLATE MATTER.-Every newspaper reader
| In the whole country has been napseated by
having from day to day thrust before MS eyes
whole columns of bogus reading matter pur-
chased nj s. 20 per page, and put forth as new
and original. So prevalent has become this
cheap trick and saw-dust imposture that
great proportion of the prints which appear
with this yillainous bur eSQue OF type go into
the cutters or elsewhere unread. 1t is totally
unworthy of q newspaper to send abroad this
machine-made fiction under the guise or news
| or in nformation, and 1t is humbug which has
never appeared in the pages of the Gazette
and never will. Let the pessimists and dys-
peptics who predict the failure OF everything
because as rule they nave peen m0nGmehar ,d ehir
gloomy forebodings for this journal ever De
realized, the Gazette will not out go an arrant
fraud, but will die an honest newspaper. Let
| them also reflect that If the blanket sheets
and lesser publications can thrive by supply
| ing chaff and chestnut literature by the square
yard at shoddy prices. there should be more
prosperity of O daily newspaper which fur
nshes the latest and best type-set news mat
ter every day in the year."
We have seen pleasant words Of the Gazette
and we have nothing to say against the fol-
lowing utterance, except that we are remind
ed of an old saying to the effect that self
praise is halfscandal. The Gazette says:
"The Gazette will not go out an arrant
fraud, but Will die an honest newspaper"
We have no doubt of the truth of the asser-
ton, but If we understand the reading of that
paragraph it means to simply imply that the
Chronicle is deficient in that desirable quality
-"honesty."
Pat Walsh may be dishonest, and his big
Irish heart may be in the wrong place, but it
will take proofpositive to make the public
believe it. Certainly the public should not be
led by the unsupported insinuation of q COM
petitor who may have no higher aim than
that Of seeking division of his business.
| Competition is legitimate and right. 1t Is
we'll for the public that we have competition
every department of business, but we have
no sympathy with that competitor who seeks
to win by assailing the character OF his COM
petitor. Mr.. Walshs bitterest enemies must
admit that he has risen to place Of honor in
| IuS CD VI ihbhS 6Oo0 oi ehS
States of Georgia and South Carolina, and ii
may be that he has committed the fur ''H
of saving some money. But q spirit OF de-
traction by competitor who may seek to rob
him of his good name and to despoil him OF
his prospects will not be quick to prevail.
| Here is another specimen of the Gazette's
selfprase, and little moro vltuperaton for
the Chronicle:
"PRECIsELY.-The Gazette desires to do all II
can for the good and growth Of Augnstaaall
that dauntleSs loyalty and devoted affection
demand. But we do not propose to approach
this result by stopping over or covering up
rocking and rotten abuses that ought to be
| fumigated or removed. We do not aim to
practice any sort of deception, either upon
our citizens or those likely TO take an interest
In Augusta. We do not propose to mislead
for its wretched and ineXcusable condition.
| We prefer to put the hose to the fostering
places, and then invite company to a clean
city. The GUzetc has neither purpose nor in
| terest to miSrepresent. A newspaper which
| has higher than selfish motive, and less than
| a greed for making money ought to be frank
enough to tell the truth about Augusta.
When we cease to do this we shall cease to
claim to do our duty. We have no lands nor
tenaments to boom and sell, and no stocks
and other speculative possessions to market,
wash" in these columns. Those who ever
hope for good government in Augusta will
not get that result by seeking temporarily to
whiten that which is unmitigatedly otfcol-
Or"
We believe the history of newspapers will
warrant the. assertion, that the superior news
paper Is always treated somewhat after the
manner In which the Gazette treats the Cl,on-
icle. and the experience Of the Chronicle will
likely prove that the better paper it publishes
the more displeased its competitor will be
with it. To have the hearty goodwill of the
great public heart will likely be to the Chroni-
Gle sufficient compensation for the spitefu re.
marks Of its competitor who may assume, for
its own aggrandisement, to take its business,
and to impeach the honored name Of the edi-
tor Of the Chronicle.
Let us not be misunderstood. We have no
unkindness for the Gazette. We merely re-
mark upon upon o habit which is reprehensi.
BILE, and which reflects no credit upon n pro-
fession whose standards should be the. high.
est.
The Charlotte Observer.
From force of pccuniary circumstances Col.
onel Charles r. Jones several days ago found
it necessary to retire from the editorial man.
agement Of the Charlotte Observer. Col. Jones
is an excellent journalist, and for years he
had one OF the best paying country newspa.
perS in this part of the country His success